Mardi Gras post

The movie "Avatar" strikes to the heart of how humans treat our planet and other people who inhabit areas of our world that contain resources we desire. While this movie does not cover new ground with its storyline, it does make use of modern technology to tell the story of the destruction of Native American tribes and of our ecosystem far better than any movie I have seen pertaining to this subject (albeit in a fantasy world). "Avatar" is visually stimulating and enthralling. The trailer is able to show the visual aspect of the film, but only touches lightly on the storyline.

"Avatar" also shows the real possibility of technology in the near future. The use of combat suits for military campaigns is not far off. The spacecraft, however, are quite far off considering our current technology. If we had spent more time focusing on the future of our species instead of the art of short term gain, we could easily have had a base on the moon and far more advanced spacecraft. Unfortunately, modern day Americans have a problem with delaying gratification unlike the generation leading up to the 1960's. The current generation of Americans would never abide budgeting billions of dollars for something they may not see come to fruition during their lifetimes.

"Avatar" would be an excellent addition to the curriculum due to its focus on human political relationships, resource management, and its real view of possible future technology; if only we could focus on something 20 years away. "Avatar" looks at the constant need of powerful groups subjugating the weak for profit. This human need for control and profit is one of the key causes of pain and death on this planet. By having "Avatar" take place on a different planet with a different native species allows us to forget our ingrained prejudices and identify with the native life. This detachment from prejudices allowed viewers to feel and understand the pain that is caused by our actions and how greedy humans really are.